Howdy folks- I’m getting ready to finish out part of our basement & need some ideas about flooring. We will be going over poured concrete & to date it seems very dry (altho concrete is porous, we did as much as we could to prevent water)… Our basement will be used for laundry, a small workshop, potting area, kid area (almost 3 yr old twins & various destructive toys), and rabbit warren… We were thinking roll vinyl, even tho I hate the stuff, because it’s easy to get down & inexpensive enuf to be torn up after the kids & rabbit destroy it. I want to stay away from anything that is costly, would require me to put down (did the peel & stick thing- and NEVER again!), easy to clean & won’t kill me when I spend eons doing laundry. I went to Home Desperate the other day & couldn’t find any orange people to help me (and I am surprised, why?)…
thanks for your help! Oh, I don’t have dimensions yet, but it’s not the whole basement- got too much junk in the other half 🙂
Replies
It may not be the cheapest, but it sounds like ceramic tile is the best way to go. AND if your basement floor is pretty level you could save yourself a lot of work just by thin-setting the tiles directly to the concrete.
As for the laundry chores, you could get one of those fat rubber mats to stand on while you're ironing.
My husband laughed himself silly at the thought of me ironing... Thanks for the tile suggestion, but it's currently out of budget (esp. by the time we've hired someone for installation) & I've dealt with bunnies & grout before- not a pretty site. Any other wonderful suggestions? Thanks again- V
Why not just paint it. Use the epoxy floor paint. Some of it comes with colored chips to give it a pattern.
Stops the dusting and easy to clean.
You can also get a small section of carpet for the kids to play on.
ohhhh- I like that idea... now to find someone who'll do it for me (twins & farm don't allow me to do creative things anymore- just ask that pile of wool that's been waiting to be spun for 4 years...).
Any specific brands to use or stay away from? Thanks!
I'll toss out acid staining as an alternative. Pretty nice effects, and...it'll never peel!<g>
Here's a link to get you started, Google will get you many more:
http://www.acid-stain.com
now that's cool!
I'd second the acid staining. It's easy, fun, inexpensive, and if you're flexible as to the results, beautiful.
If the concrete has been down for a while you'll want to clean it first with an etching solution compatible with the stain.
If you already own a wet/dry vac you can do it yourself for well under $1 per square foot.
DRC
If you like the paint idea, SW has a killer industrial floor enamel. Durn neared bullet proof. Vinyl tile isn't too pricey, and cleans easy, and installs easy also. Not the sticky linoleum - the hard stuff.
Just out of curiousity, what is SW? Floor enamel might be a really good idea. I put down some industrial vinyl tile & I hope to never do that again. Actually it went down well on the concrete, but I don't recommend doing it over old roll vinyl when you're being helped by 13 yr old & your husband is breathing down your neck. It didnt' stick ,so we had to use glue- it took 3 weeks for my skin to grow back on my hands & I was wearing gloves! BLAH!
I also determined I just don't have the patience to do a lot of this stuff myself & would rather hire it out just to keep my sanity & marraige intact :)
Thanks- V
sorry. Sherwin Williams.
Don't even think about sheet vinyl over concrete. Every trowel mark will show through no matter how good you think the concrete finish looks.
I just purchased some 2 part epoxy floor paint with the little colored chips to do my new basement floor. I don't know for sure how it will turn out, but I have high hopes.
Thank you, thank you, thank you- great suggestions & much appreciated advice. I'm going to look into everything & probably attack this project this winter when I have nothing else to do (lol)... I'd love to hear how your projects come out & appreciate any other advice- My computer has been fritzing out, so I'm not able to check as often as I'd like, but thanks again- V